Wonderful Launch - Book Signing Today

Many thanks to all the many family and friends who joined us to celebrate the launch of the new historical novel, The Last Daughter of Prussia, by my wife, Marina Gottlieb Sarles.  It was so wonderful to see the response to this riveting story of love and war, and to see years of writing work and research and polishing come together in a beautiful book. Thank you to all who attended. It was a pleasure to share the book here in The Bahamas first, before it is released worldwide in April 2013. Hardcover first-edition copies of the book are available now at the Garden of The Groves gift shop and Unexso gift shop. 

Marina will also be signing books today at The Garden of The Groves Garden Cafe from 12 to 3 pm if you'd like an autographed copy.

Grand Bahama Author Marina Gottlieb Sarles introduces new novel—The Last Daughter of Prussia—at book signing this Tuesday, December 18th

Bahamian author Marina Gottlieb Sarles will launch her new novel, The Last Daughter of Prussia, with a book signing on Tuesday evening, 18 December 2012, from 5:30 – 8:30 pm at the Pelican Bay Hotel Canal House.

The Last Daughter of Prussia is a historical novel based on the family diaries of the author’s grandparents—an epic story of suspense, love, and survival centering around the largest and least known civilian mass exodus at the end of World War II. Set amidst a beautiful and vanished way of life in war-torn East Prussia, two unlikely young lovers must fight for their lives and find new heart while struggling to escape one of the most dangerous and tragic landscapes of any generation. The Last Daughter of Prussia is a fast-paced compelling tale celebrating the indomitable human spirit in the worst of times.

The book signing will also include a short reading by the author at 6 pm, and advance first-edition hardback autographed copies of the novel will be available for sale for $25.

Author Marina Gottlieb Sarles

Marina Gottlieb Sarles is also the author of Sand In My Shoes, a collection of classic island stories. Gottlieb-Sarles is the daughter of Grand Bahama’s first doctor and nurse, Dr. Ejnar  and Owanta Gottlieb, who came to the island during its Pine Ridge lumber camp pioneer days, and later relocated to Abaco where they served the surrounding communities for many years. The author is also the sister of Cay Gottlieb, founder of Grand Bahama’s first privately owned radio station (Cool 96 FM), and Frederik F. Gottlieb, attorney and former MP for Abaco.

The author has set up a blog (marinagottliebsarles.com) with the story behind writing the novel, which will be released to world markets in April 2013.  This book launch event is a special opportunity for The Bahamas to get a first look at a work by a Bahamian daughter whose roots are deeply woven into the tapestry of the islands.

The public is invited.

Author Marina Gottlieb Sarles' extensive research on her new novel, The Last Daughter of Prussia, led her to the now vanished land of her ancestors in East Prussia. Gottlieb Sarles shown here discovering the grave of her great grandmother, Magdalena, whose son (the author’s grandfather)—a leading environmentalist of his day—survived a little known
and tragic civilian mass exodus at the end of WWII.

Introducing A New Book by Author Marina Gottlieb Sarles: The Last Daughter of Prussia

Save the date and be the first to get a copy of a brand new novel by Marina Gottlieb Sarles: The Last Daughter of Prussia. Please join us on Tuesday evening, December 18, 2012 at the Pelican Bay Hotel Canal House from 5:30 to 8:30 pm.

This historical novel is based on diaries and journals of the author's grandparents and tells the story of one of the least known chapters of World War II—a time that saw both great tragedy and great strength in the indomitable spirit of love. The author writes about her inspiration and background research for the book at her blog (click here).

This is an opportunity to purchase one of the first edition hardcover books signed by the author, which will be available for $25. The novel will be released in the U.S. and worldwide in the spring of 2013.

Marina Gottlieb Sarles is also the author of a favorite classic collection of island stories: Sand In My Shoes. A Bahamian author born in Abaco and educated in Europe and the U.S., Gottlieb-Sarles makes Grand Bahama Island her home, together with her son, Nikolai, and husband, James Sarles—President of Coldwell Banker James Sarles Realty.

Hope you can join us as we launch this new book on Tuesday evening, December 18th!

Nikolai Sarles: in his father's footsteps

Nikolai Sarles and his father, James Sarles. Photo by Chanarve McBride

Following in his father’s footsteps, Nikolai Sarles recently passed the Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) exam and will be a licensed real estate sales agent, selling properties throughout The Bahamas and working with his father, prominent broker James Sarles, President of Coldwell BankerJames Sarles Realty in Grand Bahama.

Nikolai has Freeport in his blood as the son of James and Marina Gottlieb Sarles. His mother, a Bahamian author, is the daughter of the island’s first doctor and nurse—Dr. Eijnar and Owanta Gottlieb were medical practitioners brought in to serve the Pine Ridge lumber camp residents when early Freeport was being built. They later relocated to Abaco and served the Marsh Harbour and surrounding communities for many years.

Growing up in Freeport, Nikolai attended Sunland Baptist Academy before graduating from Ridley College in Ontario, Canada, and received his B.A. degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

No stranger to real estate, Nikolai grew up earning his allowance helping his father put up real estate signs, and lived and breathed real estate from a young age, absorbing knowledge and insights around the dining room table.

Nikolai Sarles, son of broker James Sarles of Coldwell Banker James Sarles Realty in Grand Bahama follows in his father’s footsteps, joining the firm as a specialist for first-time homeowners, commercial real estate renovation projects, and rental properties.
Photo Credit: Chanarve McBride

With his exposure to a wide range of real estate projects, Nikolai developed a keen interest in the commercial and development side of the business, and is looking forward to focusing on renovation properties, rentals, and first-home opportunities as he learns every aspect of the business.

Well-traveled and with family ties in many parts of the world, Nikolai could have chosen anywhere to live, but wanted to come back to his roots in Grand Bahama to build his future. “I am the next generation”, says Sarles, “and I would like to see the early promise of Grand Bahama renewed. As a young Bahamian, I look forward to helping other young Bahamians to get their start in real estate and home ownership.”

Nikolai Sarles is especially interested in revitalizing real estate that was part of the island’s mid-century heyday. As part of the next generation, Nikolai sees Grand Bahama’s glory days not only as history, but also as a platform on which to build a bright future for himself and his fellow Bahamians.

Nikolai’s office is at Coldwell Banker James Sarles Realty, #9 Regent Centre, in Freeport. He can be contacted at nikolaisarles@gmail.com, 242.351.9081, or 242.727.8887

Moonlight Jazz

The 3rd Annual Rotary Club of Lucaya Moonlight Jazz event happens this Saturday evening, November 17, 2012, where smooth and vibrant jazz will fill The Garden of the Groves for a great cause, with part proceeds going to Columbus House for Girls & Boys, the Grand Bahama Police Crime Stoppers, and RCL's Disaster Relief Fund. 

This elegant and fun night will feature top-notch music and entertainment including: the renowned Patrick Boston Jazz Band, Marina Gottlieb Sarles, Susan Jensen Sweeting, ASP Ken Taylor, Ricardo Major, Ronald Dames, Johnny Mathieson—plus—the amazing Grand Bahama Youth Choir and First Baptist Church Youth Orchestra.

Talented local artists from the Grand Bahama Artists Association will also have their art on display and available for purchase at the event. Cigar aficionados will also be able to enjoy professionally handmade cigars from a visiting Nassau Graycliff Restaurant expert cigar roller.

The evening promises to be a don't-miss night of moonlight and music magic.  For full event information and ticket location information, click here.

UNEXSO's Shark Dive

One of the joys of living in Grand Bahama is being surrounded by lots of recreational options that many people only get to experience on vacation. We played tourist today and went on the Shark Dive with UNEXSO (The Underwater Explorers Society). That's my wife, Marina (Mikki), and me in the photo (on the far left), upclose with the sharks. The shark feeder was Cristina Zenato who performs her magic feeding the sharks. She is truly amazing and this is an exhilarating bucket list experience with a world class organization, right here in Freeport, that you must see. You will be amazed. Thanks to the UNEXSO staff for the wonderful experience. If you have not experienced this event, you'll love it. Learn to Dive with UNEXSO and if you have not scuba dived in a while they have a great refresher course in the pool to get you diving again. Mikki and I were certified many years ago at UNEXSO by Ollie Ferguson and we had not scuba dived for 25 years. What a thrill. Thanks, Cristina. Thanks, UNEXSO.

UNEXSO Dive Team Manager, Cristina Zenato, feeding one of the sharks on the dive. Her connection with these wild creatures is so loving and intelligent.

Cigar Nights Event Benefits Rotary GB Sunrise Club Big Brother/Big Sister Program

Be part of the good times and Latin-inspired entertainment this Saturday evening, June 16, 2012 at the Rotary Grand Bahama Sunrise club's Cigar Nights at the Grand Bahama Sailing Club (former Sir Charles Hayward Yacht Club). Enjoy live music with the Cigar Nights Jazz Band (featuring Ralph Munnings on sax, Pat Boston on keyboard, and Marina Gottlieb Sarles singing), the DJ Unkel Sam, demonstrations of the art of cigar rolling, and a Chinese Auction (which operates like a collection of individual raffles for specific items, with bidders placing as many or as few tickets as they like in the draw for each prize.)

Singer Marina Gottlieb Sarles

The fun starts at 7 p.m. and benefits The Big Brother/Big Sister program of Rotary GB Sunrise.

Jujitsu Master Moss, James Sarles, and the boys from Columbus House during one of their weekly outings.

Tickets are available from James Sarles (351-9081) or at the door. Don your Vintage Havana-inspired hat or tropical dress and come out to enjoy a good time for a great cause. 

Gratitude After The Hurricane

God's Pool before the storm (c) Photo Christine Matthäi

by Grand Bahama author Marina Gottlieb Sarles  (8.28.2011)

Hurricane Irene has come and gone. I am happy to report that we sustained little damage here on Grand Bahama. Our cottage in Abaco was also unscathed even though the winds pounded that island. So, I am sitting in deep gratitude this Sunday morning, drinking my home-brewed coffee frothed with warm organic milk - a delicious luxury that comes with the gift of electricity. After two days of unbearable heat (90 degrees inside the house), the air around me is finally cool thanks to a fabulous, functioning air-conditioner. I feel blessed, really I do.

As Irene swept her way across the Bahamas and I listened to all the reports of approaching doom, my thoughts ran to my parents and grandparents, to the characters in my novel The Last Daughter of Prussia and what they must have felt during World War 2. At least with a hurricane you know it's coming and when it has thrashed you about, it will leave. Furthermore, however disastrous it may be, a hurricane is still an act of nature and it has a good reason for being – namely to clear the earth of excess heat. But war lasts for years and bombs can fall at any time. Moreover, war is created by the minds of men who consciously and systematically plan the decimation of whole groups of people, cities, countries.

I thought about evacuation. In hurricanes people often have to leave their homes, make choices as to what they'll take with them. Valuables. Documents. Photographs. What a process - this choosing of most cherished objects, this deciding on the order of value – a revelation I think in letting go and also knowing what is really needed and revered. I wondered what my grandparents took with them when they evacuated their home in East Prussia. I know of a few things because I have them : a piece of amber, a small bronze fish sculpted by my grandmother, a photograph of their home. However, their reason for leaving was not brought on by a natural storm. Instead, they faced the thundering guns of the invading Russian Army.

As Irene stirred up the air around me I felt like she was also stirring up humanity's consciousness, her winds trying to break the bonds of ignorant thinking, the dangerous idea that we are all separate – beliefs that ultimately cause wars.


With everyone from the southern Bahamas along the eastern coast of the United States worried about their well-being, I wondered if perhaps we could simply care – just for a moment – about each other.  I thought if we could all do that even for a minute or an hour, what a clean-swept, shiny, energized world this would be.

On a Grand Bahama Island windswept beach ... Marina & James Sarles (c) Photo Christine Matthäi

Marina Gottlieb Sarles is the author of Sand In My Shoes: A Collection of Island Stories, and a soon-to-be-released new novel, The Last Daughter of Prussia, which she blogs about here. Marina is married to James Sarles, President of Coldwell Banker/James Sarles Realty in Grand Bahama—the beautiful island where they make their home, together with their son, Nikolai. 

Sand In My Shoes: A Collection of Island Stories

I love this book. It’s touching. Tender. Laugh-out-loud funny. It gives you a taste of island life that goes beyond the usual idyllic picture postcard images and gets straight to the heart of things. I love these vibrant, adventurous, warming, and humorous stories so much that I helped the author (a dear friend of mine—Marina Gottlieb Sarles) orchestrate the layout of the book for publication, and I’m pleased to say it has been received as a new island classic. Well into its 2nd printing, the book has garnered fans from around the world. It’s a wonderful gift any island lover will enjoy and a great introduction and insight into Grand Bahama’s beginnings—the author, Marina Gottlieb Sarles, is the daughter of the first village doctor and nurse—and draws storytelling inspiration from her childhood in The Bahamas.

Sand In My Shoes author Marina Gottlieb Sarles

You can learn more about this delightful book by clicking here. And it can be ordered online here or via Amazon.

On Grand Bahama Island, Sand In My Shoes is available at the Coldwell Banker James Sarles Realty offices at #9 Regent Center, at the beautiful new Art of Giving gift shop at The International Bazaar (beside Island Watch Repair near the arcade), at Oasis drug stores, and at the Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO).

Falling in love with the island and getting sand in your shoes is a true treat—enjoy!

(VIDEO) 'Sand in My Shoes' with author Marina Gottlieb-Sarles

Grand Bahama Island - As Bahamian author Marina Gottlieb Sarles gears up to release her second book; “ The War Horses”, she is simultaneously releasing the second publishing of her first book; “ Sand in My Shoes.”

In this video interview Marina transports us on a journey to the early days of Grand Bahama and Abaco where she was inspired by her experiences in the Bahamas through her parents and the many Bahamians she grew up with, to write her first book, “Sand in My Shoes.”

Marina tells of some of the places that “Sand in My Shoes” has taken her; including The Bahamas National Art Gallery,” where she received warm accolades as she read excerpts of her stories to a mostly black audience. They were amazed at Marina’s ability to speak fluent Bahamian dialect. Marina also passionately expresses her pride to be a part of the Bahamian artistic community that operates free from any form of racial divide.

Be sure to visit: www.sandinmyshoes.net for more information on her book and to order your own copy of “Sand in My Shoes”.

This interview is the first of a two-part series. In part two we discuss Marina's new book,” The War Horses,” a book so powerful that the author of this article got teary eyed whilst conducting the interview.